4th Prospect Update - Eli Iorg, Sergio Perez, J.R. Towles
Eli Iorg #9 RF
The 24-year-old has always been physically gifted. The Astros scouting director described him as a five-tool player Standing tall at 6'3" and 200 lbs., the former Tennessee Vol' has compiled good power numbers in the farm system. The 1st round supplemental pick hit 15 hr's and 32 doubles at Lexington A ball and has performed even better at Salem. He has improved his average to .296 as compared to .256 at Lexington. Iorg's strikeout rate on average has been one per game, he needs to improve that. Unfortunately, Iorg has been struck with some bad luck. He's out for the season with a torn ligament in his elbow. Despite the injury and his age, 24, I still see him in an Astros uniform by 2009. His last 4 games before the injury, 5-9, hr, triple,2 bb, 5 rbi.
Last Game, May 26: Out for season, tore ligament in elbow
Sergio Perez #22 RHP
Perez was the Astros 2nd-round pick, and 67th overall. In his first year at Lexington he struckout 21 in 16.1 innings. He was mainly used as a reliever at Lexington but this year at Salem, advanced A ball, he has gotten his fair share of starts.He's got a decent era. at 3.72 but in his last 10 games he's been at 2.62. He has a fastball that sits in the mid 90's and tops out at 97. He complements that with a hard slider and his somewhat violent windup has been compared to Orioles closer, Chris Ray's. There are questions with his durability so he might have a future as a reliever rather than a starter. His live arm will eventually find its way into an Astros uniform. Think Sergio Perez in '09!
Last Game, August 14: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's
August 9: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's
August 3: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO's
July 29: 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO's
July 19: 5.2 ip, 3 er, 2 bb, 4 so's
J.R. Towles #21 C
Despite being a 20th round pick in 2004, J.R. Towles has established himself as one of the best Astros hitters and the best defensive catcher. He's hitting a solid .323 at double-A Corpus with some pop, 9 hrs and 9 doubles in 48 games. He's the best Astros catching prospect since John Buck. A lot of scouts say he will amount to nothing more than a backup catcher but they don't know the type of work ethic this guy has. After the '05 season Towles improved his game by adding 15 more lbs. of muscle and changing his stance. The following season he hit a sparkling .317. Not only that, but his strikeout rate has dropped every year. He's a class-act and a consummate professional. How can you not root for this guy? Expect him to get an invite to spring training next year. If he plays well he might earn a starting spot, since the Astros are in desperate need of a major-league-ready catcher. Many believe he is not ready yet, neither do i, but if the Astros don't sign or trade for a young catcher then he might be the only good option. ETA: 2009-10
Last game, August 16: 1-2, run BB, sb
August 15: 0-3, BB
August 13: 1-3, single, BB, run
August 11: 1-4, single
August 10: 1-4, single, run
